Protect You, Always
by anzafire
Summary: This is the second time you've seen a little black box open, only this time, you don't need a forty-eight hour waiting period to respond. You don't even need a second. Will/Emma, smuff


Usually, you can't wait for school to start back up in the fall. Not that you don't like summer vacation, but come August, you've typically run out of things to do with yourself. You can only wax the floors in the kitchen and bathroom so many times. Rug-scrubbers are expensive to rent more then once or twice a year and your garden is pruned to perfection — you hate the dirt and sweat that goes along with planting, but knowing how the fruits and vegetables were grown and handled is worth the extra shower mid-day.

But not this year. This year, summer can't last long enough.

You've finally realized that summer can be more than dusting spotless shelves, washing unmarred drapery and vacuuming each corner of the linen closet. You've finally come to learn what relaxing is all about.

You have never been one to spend much time in the sun, as the color of your hair and pigment of your skin have prompted your body to be exceptionally prone to burning, but as always, he protects you. He found a bottle of SPF 100 for your sensitive limbs that had you smiling into a long kiss as you tried to forget about the potentially messy day ahead of you.

But you're really excited about passing the upcoming day at the beach with your boyfriend. You've never gone before — at least not since you were eight — and you're quite excited.

When he asked you to go over dinner three nights previous, you had protested, claiming the water was polluted beyond all measure and that sand isn't exactly your best friend, but somehow — through long kisses or gentle caresses, you aren't quite sure — he's made you agree to join him for the day.

Of course, not owning a pool yourself and having not gone to the beach in over twenty years, you didn't own a bathing suit, so yesterday had been spent giggling in dressing rooms as he tied tops and bottoms on you, amid running his hands up your thighs and kissing you so long you were panting afterwords, thusly probing an investigation from a sales associate as to whether or not to ask the pair of you to leave the store.

He'd held your hand as you hid your blushing face in his shoulder, protecting you from embarrassment. You purchased two suits (because he couldn't pick which one he liked better and asked you to surprise him) and made your way to the car — he'd gotten a new Chevy Impala when his little blue beater simply could go on no longer — for a heated make out session that ended with his hand cupping her backside, his shirt in the backseat while you shifted slightly and wound up laying on the horn, drawing attention from people walking by in front of the vehicle that caused you to pull apart. You both flushed but laughed it off and you moved to your side of the car as you sped out of the department store parking lot and towards Will's apartment to continue the fun.

Now you smile to yourself as yesterday's activities play themselves out at the front of your mind.

The front door swings open as he lets himself in, removes his sandals and heads straight to your bedroom where you're currently struggling to tie the last strings of the bikini around your back.

He smirks and makes his way over, gliding his fingers over yours to knot the fabric together. Once he's done, he places warm kisses down your bare shoulders and slides his hands down your sides and your flat stomach, "Hey."

You twist to meet his lips in a gentle kiss, "Hey," You respond, leaning back into him and relishing the closeness, "Mm...I'm excited for today," You whisper, fingers gliding up to twirl his curls, "Promise you'll hold me if it gets too...hard?"

"Always," He replies, giving your hips a little squeeze before releasing you to finish packing your bag.

You drive to the beach listening to '80s songs, singing in harmony — he's taught you well over the past year — while his hand that isn't on the wheel rests on your upper leg, tracing small, slow circles that are starting to make you twitch. At some point, you take the hand in yours to prevent yourself from getting terribly excited.

The sandy beach comes into your view and you're pleased to see that there are not hundreds of people gathered to spend the day in the water so you can have as much privacy with your boyfriend as possible.

"Ready, Em?" He asks, turning the key back and squeezing your fingers. You nod, reaching your face to kiss his cheek before unbuckling and climbing out of the car.

It's a perfect, cliche day and you're loving every minute of it as Will circles his right arm around your waist and you walk towards the waves.

You set your things down in the sand, feeling the grains seep into the holes of your sandals.

Staying calm, you watch Will spread a blanket down and wave you to sit next to him.

Smirking, you toe off your shoes and crawl next to him, tearing your tank top and flowing skirt off in the process.

He reaches into a bag and pulls out the bottle of sunscreen, squirts a dab into his palm and moves your hair over your shoulder, beginning to rub the coconut-smelling lotion into your skin.

His movements are slow and deliberate, honestly wanting to protect you from the rays of the sun, but also hoping to turn you on.

It's working, you're feeling the lining of your bikini become wet long before you've entered the water as his hands move from your spine to your sides and trail along your upper body, careful to slide into the cup of your top, "Wouldn't want to get burned there," Will murmurs into your hair.

You gasp as his hands trail down, applying the sunblock to your inner thighs, causing you to melt into him. He finishes with a few dabs to your face and ears, "I make your face red enough when I do things like this," He teases, gliding his hand under the waistband of your bathing suit and cupping your bare bottom, earning the flush he said he would.

You jokingly swat his hand away and pull his shirt off, reaching for the sunscreen to apply on his shoulders, but he stops you with a kiss to each finger on your right hand, "I don't burn, sweetie."

Pouting, you take off his sandals and straddle his sitting frame, pressing your warm, wet torso into his, grinding him, biting your bottom lip playfully.

"Oh, yeah?" He laughs, laying down and pulling you with him, feeling your fingers latch onto his curls while your mouth seeks his, "Mm, Emma...We've been here for five whole minutes and you're already seducing me?"

"It's not exactly a daunting task," You giggle and run a nail up and down his jaw as his arms settle themselves at your middle and his eyes meet yours.

"...You're beautiful," He whispers out of nowhere and you sigh, meeting his lips for a long kiss, "And you're looking exceptionally attractive in this number," He tugged at the ruffled part of your bottoms and moves a single finger to rub along the inside of one of your leg holes, "I'm glad you picked this one."

You can feel just how glad he is poking your stomach. In response, you press kisses from his lips down near his naval, nuzzling your face right above his waistband. You wouldn't actually do what you have in mind in public, but teasing him endlessly is all kinds of fun.

His hands continue to rub along the soft skin along your hipline, but a cleared throat from a woman holding her son's hand above you has you both sitting up, blushing, "Sorry 'bout that," Will meets her eyes as you stare at your hands.

"The couples usually spend alone time beyond the rock," She winks and points to a caved-in point of the beach, "At least, they did back in the day."

You feel your flush deepen as she carries on, and once she is out of earshot, Will lets out a laugh, probing you to slug him in the ribs, "You're always getting me in trouble."

He pulls you back into his lap, facing forward this time, "Would you like to go for a dip?" He asks, rubbing your bare shoulders.

You stiffen slightly, the water looks crystal blue, but you know better, "...I...I want to, Will. Just...if it gets...difficult," You don't finish, knowing he understands.

Kissing your cheek, he stands, pulling you with him, "Don't worry, Em...I've got you." You know he does as he takes your hand and with a deep breath, leads you to where the sand is a dark brown and feels mushy between your toes. It's disgusting at first, but then almost relaxing, "Alright?" He asks, you nod, "We'll go slow...I won't dunk you under all at once."

You nod and together you take the first step, your feet splashing in the water, which is a bit colder than you expected, "Oh!" You gasp as it washes over your ankles and back with the little tide that is being pulled.

Will hugs you close, the sand takes on an even stranger texture and you swear the water looked a lot cleaner from fifty feet back, "It's okay..." He whispers, standing completely behind you with both hands now on your stomach, "Adjusting?"

Again, you nod, still not completely comfortable, but starting to get used to the feeling of the moist grains beneath you, "It's just...um...different."

You're hoping to relax enough to truly enjoy this. You want the cheesy, cliche, fun in the water that you've read about and seen on television countless times.

He urges you in a bit further and you close your eyes as the cold washes over your legs, splashing up your thighs and his hands continue to stay strong around you, protecting you from...yourself.

"Still feeling alright?" He kisses your temple as you're now past your knees. You smile and lean back, eyes still closed and he meets your lips.

"I'm still alright...Just...um...just don't let go, okay?"

"I'll never let go, Emma," He whispers.

Yes, this is the cheesy, cliche scene you want.

As the water pools around your waist, you shiver against him and he kisses your neck, "Cold?"

"A...a little bit," You admit, hands still covering his, "But it's not bad."

"Mm," He kisses you again, twirling your body to face him, "Mind if I hold you?" You wrap your legs around his waist and giggle as he positions properly, moving deeper into the water until it's at your neckline, "How's this?"

You sigh and lean your forehead against his, "Much better."

"Yeah?" There's a sudden playful smirk on his face as he moves one arm from around your bottom and to your front, gliding between your legs. Even though his ministrations are over your suit, you can feel yourself growing week in his arms.

Not wanting to give in so easily, you take an arm from behind his neck, giving the appearance that you're going to give him the same treatment...instead, you dip the hand below the surface of the water, then bring it back up to splash him in the face, earning a gasp as you giggle and his hand falls to wipe the drips from his eyes. He pouts and moves just as quickly to splash you back, making you squeal and continue pounding at the water until both your faces are as soaked as the rest of you. Finally, you throw both hands up and kiss him senseless.

"I'll take that as a surrender?" He laughs and repositions you so you're around him more tightly.

"Yes, you win this one," You kiss him again, fingers combing through his wet curls.

He runs his hands down your legs beneath the water, causing you to groan, "You're quite sensitive underwater...it's good to know."

You tug at his hair and raise a brow, "Just what do you plan on doing with the information?"

His fingers slide against your most sensitive skin, beneath your bathing suit this time, earning a groan that you flush after, "Will..."

"You like that?"

You grind against his hand almost absentmindedly as he continues to stroke. Your mouth meets his and your pulse speeds rapidly.

However the fun doesn't last long as five rowdy boys come splashing in the water near your intimate party of two, causing you both to pull away pouting.

"Perhaps we should move..." Will mutters and you agree, pulling out of his hold and letting him direct you towards the rock that the woman from the beach had mentioned before.

You follow behind, swimming best you know how before letting loose and jumping on Will's back, making him dive below the water in shock for only a moment until he stands up straight, wrapping his arms around the backs of your knees and makes some obnoxious noise that gets you laughing.

You purposely rub your breasts against his shoulder-blades, nearly making him drop you, which has you laughing even more.

"You are torturing me slowly, Em," He sputters while your hands dance along his pectorals as he continues towards the privacy cove.

"Let's face it, you love it when I'm in control of you," You nip at the top of his ear as the two of you round the long rock, "Wow..." You are distracted from his beauty to the natural surroundings of a mountain-esque scene, where the water comes to Will's chest, surly your shoulders, but best of all — you are completely alone.

"You could probably climb down now," Will chides, interrupting your gaze at the rock formations.

You sigh, loosening your hold so you're barely touching him, "What are you going to do about it?" You nibble at his ear again and he laughs.

"Maybe...This," Suddenly you squeak as you're dumped from his back into the water, straight down.

You pop up sputtering and gasping a bit more than necessary and Will is standing in front of you laughing, his head tossed back and arms crossed.

With all the strength you can muster, you shove him back forcefully, and he plays along, falling into the water, but not without pulling your arms so you're under again.

When you both finally come up, you've got both hands on his shoulders as your feet dangle and he smiles, calming considerably and resting his forehead against yours he whispers, "I'm proud of you."

You blink, realizing why, "I'm proud of me, too...Thank you," You bring him in for a long, wet, kiss brushing your noses together before parting. Truly, he is the reason you're able to stand in a murky lake, the mushy sand causing your toes to sink in, seaweed brushing against your legs. In his arms, none of it matters.

Your lips meet again, kissing a bit deeper, a bit longer, and a bit more passionate than the last few you've shared. His hands move to your waist, sliding up and down beneath the water as you wrap your legs around his hips once again.

Before you know it, both strings that tie around your back, holding the top half of your bikini together, are undone and the fabric floats next to you.

"Um," You sigh as his lips meet one of your wet nipples, "I'm not sure...I want...to be...fully exposed...with...people..."

"Okay," He agrees, retying the material, "Do you still want to—"

He doesn't need to finish his sentence as you've got your hand slid beneath the waistband of his swim trunks, flexing it closed around his hard member, causing his eyes to close at the sudden heat and grip.

You smile and kiss his chest while his hands support your bottom again.

He moves your suit, bunching the fabric up and gliding his fingers between your folds, to your opening, pushing a finger, than two inside, causing your muscles to contract and pressure on him to increase.

"Will," You moan and rest your face on his shoulder while he teases you, "Oh, Will..."

You've had your fair share of fun in the shower, but never completely emerged in water before. There's a strange feeling of friction that you're finding yourself enjoying, and apparently, Will is as well.

You take a deep breath as his hands speed up, thumb brushing your sensitive nub and making you thrust against his hand while your own struggles to keep up.

Suddenly, you're tingling all over and you bite your lip while your chest heaves as he brings you to the place that only he has ever brought you.

* * *

You spend the afternoon in the sun after your fun moments of privacy. You enjoy the lunch you packed while sitting in his lap and feed him grapes, that you don't spend time polishing individually when you eat some yourself. He sings to you softly on the ukulele he brought along, the sounds of Train's most popular single flood your ears and you kiss him sweetly as you tug him back to the water for another round of acting like children.

The evening draws close and families begin packing up, and it isn't long before you're the only two left on the beach. You ask him if he'd like to go, but he shakes his head, saying he's always wanted to take a walk along the shore at sunset. You smile and kiss his hopelessly romantic face, nipping at his lip as your arms wind around him. Quickly changing into dry clothes behind a curtain of blankets you create for one another, you lay on top of him for almost a half hour, enjoying the breeze that is blowing off the lake as your lips become puffy from kisses and hair is now more tangled then it had been from your time in the water.

He pulls you up and you start at one end of the beech, hand in hand, quietly, enjoying the sounds of the waves as the evening tide pulls them in, "I love you," You say out of nowhere, "I'm glad you convinced me to come today...you've gotten me to do so many things since we got together...I really appreciate it."

You're halfway down the shore when he speaks next, "You're beautiful," It seems to come out of nowhere as well while he pulls your hand to his lips, "And I don't know that I tell you enough."

You smile sadly, raising an eyebrow, "Even when my hair's a disaster from wind and lake water and sand and your hands? And I've got no makeup on? And my face is starting to burn?"

"Especially then," He continues to speak, "And you're so smart...always have the answer to every problem, and I still don't know how you do that..." You blush beneath the sun-kissed circles on your cheeks, "You're so selfless...always willing to sacrifice anything for me...for the kids...for your work...it doesn't matter...You always give, never expecting anything in return..."

Unlatching your fingers, you move your arm so your hand settles on his waist, "And you are very attractive...very...sexy," You giggle the word while he slows your walk, "So romantic...always know what I want...and what I need...You always know how to deal with my crazy...I love you."

The sun is fading behind the line of trees beyond the lake and the sky is a hazy shade of pink, streaked with purple clouds that reflect in the water before you. Without warning, Will spins you into his arms and kisses you, and you wish someone had a camera to catch your silhouetted forms against the perfect background. It's like the ending of a chick flick, and you love experiencing every minute of it.

"I love that you protect me," You whisper, pulling away and tracing the shape of his jaw, "You protect me from everything that I don't know how to deal with on my own. You protect me from all the messes in my life and guide me through them...You protect my heart from being shattered into a thousand pieces and you protect me...so fiercely...so...beautifully, I just...I don't really know that I have words to describe you, Will. I just love you."

He's got a smile on that you're not sure you've ever seen him wear. His lips grace yours ever-slightly before he monologues, "Emma, you're in my mind, as always...I love to protect you. I love to give you what you want, and what you need...in every sense. I love being here for you, to get you through your messes. I love guiding you through your life and I love that you're letting me guide you...I will always protect your heart, because I know it's mine now, and it's my duty to protect it...And I will always protect you...always...that is, if you'll let me..."

He's reaching into the pocket of his shorts and you feel your throat lump with tears, "Emma...I love you...and I would love to make protecting you my number one priority...I'd love to make you number one in my life, officially...I...Emma, will you marry me?"

This is the second time you've seen a little black box open, only this time, you don't need a forty-eight hour waiting period to respond. You don't even need a second.

With a happy tear trailing down your cheek, you choke, "Yes...Yes, Will, I will marry you...I'll let you make me number one, so long as I can make you number one."

He fits the ring on your left hand finger and you stare down at the beautiful gold band, the diamonds catching in the remains of the sunlight. But there will be time to take in that beauty later. For now, all you want to do is wrap your arms around your fiance and kiss him senseless.

* * *

It takes nearly an hour of kissing and long touches while the sun sets officially before the two of you can manage to pull away long enough from your future spouse and pack your things.

He holds your hand on the ride back, his thumb absently stroking over the golden band on your fourth finger and you feel tingles all over your body.

You have something you want to ask him as well, but you'd like to wait until after you've celebrated a little.

Once you make it back to your apartment, you're barely out of the car when he lifts you into his hold and presses a few kisses to your cheeks and forehead before opening the door and kicking his shoes off and making the way to your bedroom.

He sets you on the edge of the bed and you put on your playful smile, reaching for his hands, "I love you," You whisper and tug him down to your level to meet his lips.

He lays you down and scoots you to the top of the bed, draping himself on top of you, careful to distribute his weight to his elbows so not to crush your thin frame. You wrap an arm around his neck as his kisses become deeper and his fingertips are like fire on your bare arms.

You tug his shirt off between kisses and yours follows, each of you now tracing patterns on the body of the other. His hand clasps one of your small breasts while his mouth descends on the other, causing your back to arch into him while and your hands meet his hair, tugging as his tongue swirls around your skin.

Sighing as he nips at the flesh around your collar bone, you bring his face back to yours for gentle yet steamy kisses.

You have plenty of time to play rough and dirty, and while you enjoy it, you want tonight to be a celebration of the life-long decision you've just made.

Will seems to capture the message, conveyed in your soft touches to his cheeks while he meets your lips and his hands become tangled in your hair.

You tug at the waistband of his shorts, unbuttoning them and sliding your hand between the two layers of fabric that cover him, brushing his hardening length as your kisses become open mouthed and hungry.

He shifts above you, moving his mouth back down to your chest and snuggling your breasts, tickling them with his hair before moving his mouth down lower, trailing warm kisses on your stomach, making you moan and pull your hand from him as his glide up your legs and skirt, massaging your thighs.

"Will," You breathe when his fingers come closer to the edges of your panties and his mouth dips below your belly button, "Will..."

You lift your hips and he pulls down your skirt with one swift movement, leaving you in only the lacy fabric that is soaked through in the middle, where his fingers are currently trailing to.

"You're beautiful," He reminds you again when he removes the last barrier covering you, followed by his own bottoms. Your lips meet in another long, promise-filled kiss and he leans to your nightstand drawer and fishes out a package, preparing to meet you.

"Protecting me as always," You say quietly as he rolls the latex onto himself and meets your eyes, brushing the stray bangs off your forehead and kissing above each eyebrow.

"Always..."

With that, he meets you with one last long, warm kiss and you instinctively spread your legs, willing him to push into you.

He fills you slowly while your lips stay connected and you moan into his mouth while pressing your palms flat on his chest and his hands find your hips to start a rhythm. Your head tilts backwards and your chest arches into him while he starts to move within you, the friction pleasant and feelings warm. One hand moves from your hip to between you, teasing your most sensitive flesh and earning a gasp that he takes as an invitation to move back to your mouth.

He continues to glide against you, pushing at the places you're most receptive too, that he knows well by now.

"Will," His hand continues to toy beneath you, making your usually long-withstanding endurance crumble as he makes you feel so _good_. "Will..."

Your panting is driving him wild and you can tell as he starts to move faster and his fingers are moving lazily against you. His lips connect to yours, "Em," He mutters into them, "_Emma_," You sigh into his mouth and feel yourself begin to tremble, muscles clamping around him.

He's coming fast as well, but you know he'll let you ride this out as he continues to tease and thrust, his thighs are starting to shake as you moan loudly and feel him releasing.

After a moment, he's on your chest, breathing heavily and your fingers run through his damp curls while he kisses your chest, arms winding around your middle, "I love you, Emma," He's tired and you're feeling the exhaustion seep in as you look down at his face, where your hand is running down his cheek. You take a moment to admire the gold band on your finger.

"It's beautiful, Will...thank you."

You feel him smirk against your chest and kiss your ring finger, "It seemed fitting...Of course nothing compares to you, love."

You giggle and sigh tiredly, "Mm...I don't have a fancy ring...but...Will, I love falling asleep like this, with you. I've loved waking up to your face almost every day this summer...and...I don't know how I'm going to go back to only being able to spend our weekends together...Will, I guess...what I'm asking is...and, you can say no, I don't want you to feel obligated...but um...Would you like to move in with me?"

He sits up, propped on his elbows and kisses your lips, "Nothing would make me happier, Emma. I would love to move in with you."

After one last kiss, he snuggles into your hold and you feel your eyelids dropping, "You'll be able to protect me all the time..."

Will clasps his hand in yours, bringing intertwined fingers to his lips, "I'm looking forward to it...goodnight, Em...I love you."

"I love you..." You respond and relax against the pillows, eyes trailing down to your ring once more, "I love you so much."

He wraps one arm to your back again while the other keeps hold of your fingers, "I love you, always."

And you know he does, truly, as his eyes flutter shut and yours do as well.

* * *

_Prompted by **agt_starbuck.**_

_Perhaps a wedding celebration will follow...Not calling this "complete" yet. _


End file.
